Speaking Heartbeats

Heartbeat 23

Heartbeat 23

Abala ako sa paglalagay ng polbo sa mukha nang may pumasok sa loob ng comfort room. Saglit na natigilan ang babae nang makita ako ngunit agad ding binalewala ang aking presensiya. She confidently stood by my side with her eyebrows arched.

I reapplied my lipstick and checked my reflection. Dagling nagtama ang mga mata namin ni Jinny sa harap ng salamin.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her. "This CR is strictly for faculty members only."

Umangat ang gilid ng kaniyang labi. "Andrei told me that I can use this CR."

I eyed her through the mirror. "What both of you are doing is unethical...with Andrei disobeying the school rules and you frequently visiting him as if this place is not an academic institution."

It seemed that she was not taking me seriously...dahil mas lalong lumapad ang ngisi sa kaniyang labi.

"Why do you even care, Alexis? Are you jealous?"

Inayos ko ang lumagpas na linya ng lipstick sabay balewala sa kaniyang pinupunto. "This is a school, not a park where you can hang out anytime you want."

"Aminin mo na lang na nagseselos ka. Stop being petty and be true to yourself for once."

Naglalaro ang inis at panunuya sa kaniyang tinig na mas lalong nagpasidhi sa panggagalaiting nararamdaman ko sa kaniya.

"Why would I be jealous?" I shot at her.

She scoffed. It's evident with the glint in her eyes that she doesn't believe me.

Umarko ang aking kilay at matalim siyang tinitigan. "Ang sa akin lang, Jinny, dapat ay marunong kang ilugar ang iyong kalandian. Edukada kang tao, so act like one."

A victorious grin formed along the corner of my lips when hers parted in shock. Mula sa salamin ay hinarap ko siya, sinamantala ang kaniyang katahimikan at nagsalita. "Oh, thinking about it, malandi ka nga pala noon pa man."

The smirk on her lips vanished, and I felt her composure shake. Hindi ko alam pero tila may nasagi akong sensitibong topiko. The way she pressed her lips together seemed like a warning of something worse.

"Are we here to reminisce the past, Alexis? Hindi mo ba alam na dahil sa kalandian ko ay iniwan ka ng taong mahal mo?"

Jeanne Kaziel is definitely a sadist. She knows the words to say to bring out the worst in me. She knows the buttons to press...and the cards to play.

"Remember it clearly, Alexis. How he kissed me and how I kissed him back. How you ran after us to kneel afterward. How you begged, but we still turned our backs to leave you."

Ikinuyom ko ang aking palad sa muling pag-uungkat niya ng mapait na kahapon.

I ran my eyes through her entity. I do not want to judge, but maybe Michael has been right this time. Jinny is a selfish woman.

"So...you are proud of what you did. You are proud to be a relationship wrecker. Huh...what do I expect from someone like you? Jinny....sana ay malayo ang marating mo dahil diyan sa kalandian mo. I just hope that you don't experience what I have gone through...na hindi matulad sa'yo ang ginawa mo sa akin."

I am amazed by her audacity to face me despite what she did in the past. She did me wrong, but she's more willing to inflict more pain on me rather than apologize for what she did....dahil sa nagdaang mga taon, wala akong narinig kahit isa.

Jinny's straight face waivered. May dumaang emosyon sa kaniyang mga matang hindi ko na gustong pangalanan. She blinked profusely and took a single step backward. I see that I have caught her off guard.